Coupling-centering mechanism.



- W. J. REGAN.

COUPLING CENTERING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 1?. ms.

1,218,208, I v Patented Mar. 6, 1917.-

awuentoz WILLIAM J. REGAN, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR 'ro THE MeooNwAv & TOBLEY COMPANY, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION or PENN- SYLVANIA.

courLINe-oENTnRINe MECHANISIM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 6, 1917.

Application filed August 17, 1916. Serial No. 115,463. 1

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. REGAN, a citizen of the Ilnited States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain 'new and useful Improvements in Coupling-Centering Mechanism; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. My invention relates to mechanism enabling a trainman to readily shift a laterally movable car coupler to proper position for effecting a coupling with the coupler of-an adjacent car. The invention is also designed to affordmeans for operatingthe locking mechanism of a coupler.

Generally stated the invention involves,

in combination with a coupler which is mounted on a railway car, so as to be capable of swmgmg laterally when the car passes around a curve, a fulcrum member which is mountedupon the body of the car,-

atively connecting the lever and the coupler,

preferably through the locking device by which the parts of the coupler are maintained in normal relation, the mechanism being so constructed and arranged that the trainman may shift the coupler laterally in eitherdirection when stationed at one side of the car.

In the drawings illustrating my invention, the scope whereof is pointed out in the claims,

Figure 1 is a front elevation-of a laterally movable coupler and' devices embodying my invention for shifting the coupler laterally. i r

Fig. 2 is a detail side elevation of a coupler and a portion of the mechanism for unlocking and shifting the coupler illus+ trated in Fig. 1'. n

Fig. 3 isv a detail view in side elevation showing one of the fulcrum members, the actuating lever and the operating bar or rod connecting the lever to the coupler.

Fig. lis a detail horizontal section of the outer portion or edge of one of the walls or partitions ofthe fulcrum member.

In the drawings, 1 indicates a coupler of a well-known type that is adapted to be connected to a railway car so as to be capable of extended lateral swinging movements with respect thereto. The coupler is provided'with a lock 2 and with the usual pivoted knuckle 3. The lock 2, which-may be of the vertically sliding gravity type, is preferably moved to unlocked position by means of a vertically rotatable arm or lever 4 whose outer end extends into an opening in the lower end of the lock. The member 4 is provided with trunnions 5 bywhich it is pivotally connected to a bracket 6 that is rigidly secured to the coupler. At its rear end the lock actuating member d is provided the upwardly extending inner ends 8 of operating bars or rods 9 that respectively extend transversely in opposite directions toward the sides of the car. When either of the rods 9 is rotated in the proper direction, thelock-operating member 4 will be swung upwardly to effect an unlocking movement of the coupler lock 2, as will be readily understood. The details of construction of the parts for operating the coupler lock heretofore described are in nowise essential to my invention, but are. to be regarded as illustrative merely. They are more fully described in the 1.1-1. Milliken Patent No. 1,184,116, issued. May 23, 1916, for a coupler release rigging. The rods 9 by which the locking mechanism of the coupler may be actuated also serve as a means whereby the operator, by pushing or pulling. upon either of them as occasion may require, may shift the coupler laterally to any desired position on either side of the longitudinal axis of the car without passing from one side of the car to the other. The means employed for both rotating andpulling or pushing each of the laterally extending operating rods 9 involves a triangular lever 10 which is piv- 11, the upper 'end 12 of said lever being adapted to cooperate with a fulcrum memher 13 which is secured to the body of the car. 7

The fulcrum member 13 is preferably provided with a plurality of vertically extending walls 1-1- affording a series of pockets or recesses which receive the upper end of the lever 10 when the lever is being rotated to effect lateral movement of the coupler. To minimize the possibility of the upper end of the lever 10 catching upon the outer edges'of the walls or partitions 1 1. of the fulcrum member, such outer edges are preferably tapered or sharpened, as at 15, and for a similar purpose the upper end of the lever is preferably provided with a sharpened boss or tapering projection 16.

Brackets, such as 17, which are open on one side to permit the ready introduction of the reciprocating operating rods 9, are preferably employed to support the operating rods from the car body in such manner that they may be capable of sliding, turning,and oscillating freely. As shown in the drawings, it is preferred to form the brackets 17 integral with the corresponding fulcrum members 13. A cotter 18 may be conveniently employed as a closure for the opening in the side of the bracket to thereby maintain the rod 9 in proper assembled relation therewith.

l/Vhen the coupler is to be shifted laterally from its central position the handle end of the lever 10 is grasped by the trainman and rotated forwardly and turned on the pivot bolt 11 until the upper end 12 thereof enters the middle pocket of the adjacent fulcrum member 13. After coming into operative relation with the fulcrum member the forward rotation of the lever 10 may be continued so as to impart to the adjacent laterally extending rod 9 a corresponding rotation of sufficient extent to move the lock 2 of the coupler .to unlocked position and to cause the knuckle 3 to be rotated to open position, if the coupler, as is generally the case, is provided with knuckle opening mechanism. With the lever 10 maintained in en? gagement with the fulcrum member, the trainman pulls or pushes upon it, as the necessary direction of lateral movement of the coupler may require, the upper end 12 of the lever fulcruming upon one of the. adjacent walls or partitions 14 of the fulcrum member and a corresponding pull or push being transmitted to the operating rod 9 which is connected to the lever.

Should it be necessary to shift the coupler laterally to its extreme position, or should the leverage obtained when the lever 10 extends into the middle pocket of the fulcrum member 13 be 1I1SLl1l1Cl6I1t to permit the operator to shift'the coupler easily to the desired position, the coupler may be shifted laterally a portion of the required distance cated,

while the lever 10 cooperates with the middle pocket, after which the upper end 12 of the lever may be transferred to the appropriate one of the adjacent pockets of the fulcrum member, thus affording better leverage for moving the coupler farther. By reason of the character of the lever and its relation to the parts with which it cooperates, the trainman is enabled to apply much more force in pushing the coupler than could be applied with a straight lever, and at the same time the lever has practically the same efficiency as a straight lever when the trainman shifts the coupler by the application of a pulling force. It is to be noted that when the lever '10 hangs in its normal position the upper end thereof is in a position in which it cannot interfere with the pocket walls of the fulcrum member 13 during the operation of unlocking the coupler.

I claim:

1. In mechanism of the character indicated, the combination -with a coupler mounted on a railway car so as to be capable of moving laterally, of means for shifting said coupler laterally in either direction, said means involving ,a fulcrum memher, a triangular lever movable into and out 'of engagement with said fulcrum member,

and means extending transversely of the car for operatively connecting said lever with said coupler.-

2. In mechanism of the character indithe combination with a coupler mounted on a railway car so as .to becapable of moving laterally, of a locking device for maintaining the parts of the coupler in coupled relation, means extending toward the side of the car for shifting the coupler laterally in either direction and adapted to effect an unlocking movement of said locking device, and a triangular lever connected to said means and adapted to actuate the same.

3. In mechanism of the character indicated, the combination with a coupler mounted on a railway car so as to be capable of moving laterally, of means for shifting said coupler laterally in either direction, said means involving afulcrum member affording a plurality of fulcra, and a triangular lever adapted to cooperate with said fulcra.

4-. In mechanism of the character indicated, the combination with a coupler mounted on a railway car so asto be capable of moving laterally, of means for shifting said coupler laterally, said means involving a fulcrum member, a rod operatively connected to said coupler andextending toward the side of the car, and a triangular lever movably connected between its ends to said rod and movable into and :out of engagement with the fulcrum member.

5, In mechanism of the character indicated, the combination with a, coupler movable, the triangular lever being movably mounted on a railway car so as to be capable connected with and supported by the means 10 of moving laterally, of means for shifting which connect it with the coupler, and said coupler laterally in either direction, adapted to be moved into and out of engage 5 said means involving a fulcrum member on ment with the fulcrum meniber.

the car, a triangular lever, means for con- In testimony whereof I aflix my signature. necting the triangular lever with the coupler, a support for said means on which it is WILLIAM J. REGAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

